State
County receives $70K grant
Madison County Journal
The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality awarded Madison County a solid waste assistance grant of over $70,000 that will be used by county officials for household hazardous waste and E-waste collection.
County receives $40K waste tire grant
Neshoba Democrat
The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality has awarded Neshoba County a $40,000 two-year waste tire grant to continue the local waste tire collection program for small quantity generators of waste tires.
New breakthrough means what we know about CWD may have totally changed
Clarion Ledger
A video circulating on social media about a possible cure for chronic wasting disease has gone viral.
New rule coming to Miss. turkey hunters
WLBT
Starting this year, hunters will have to begin reporting each turkey they kill to the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks.
Hunting ordinance draws mixed reviews
Commercial Dispatch
The city of Starkville's effort to adjust its discharge of firearms ordinance to allow for hunting on land brought in through annexation drew some mixed reaction at the first public hearing on Tuesday.
Fight to contain invasive aquatic plant found in reservoir continues
WAPT
Reservoir operators have been trying to keep the lake levels down so they can keep trying to contain giant salvinia, an invasive plant.
CLEVELAND STORM DRAINS BECOME TRASH DUMPS
Bolivar Commercial
Over the next week the Delta will skies will be covered with rain clouds and as a result the streets will be filled with water.
...Bell explained if the Environmental Protection Agency or Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality catches someone unlawfully putting something into drains, a person could be arrested and charged.
Great American Cleanup coming March 23
New Albany Gazette
This year’s Great American Cleanup social theme, launched by Keep America Beautiful, is “#cleanYOURblock”. T
GCRL gets crabby with crustacean research
WLOX
To investigate blue crab movements in the Gulf of Mexico, the team at the Gulf Coast Research Lab (GCRL) is currently tagging and releasing 31,000 crabs throughout the local waters.
Lake Cleanup Is Saturday
North MS Herald
Rain or shine, Enid Lake’s Volunteers for Waste Management’s Annual Clean Up Day is scheduled Saturday morning.
Implement maker moving 45 jobs to Mississippi from Tennessee
AP
OLIVE BRANCH, MISS.
A German agricultural implement company is moving its North American headquarters from Memphis, Tennessee, into nearby Mississippi.
State Government
TALKS UNDERWAY TO DIVVY OUT STATE'S $6.1 BILLION BUDGET
MPB
Mississippi legislators are agreeing to a $6.1 billion budget. MPB's Desare Frazier takes a look at budget talks in the Senate.
No guarantee of state employees’ raises in Mississippi
AP
Mississippi lawmakers are agreeing to an early set of recommendations for a $6.1 billion state budget. More work is coming in the next few weeks.
Oil Spill
Despite Restoration Efforts, Alabama Oysters Reach Historic Low
WBHM
From Florida to Texas, oyster populations in the Gulf of Mexico are dropping, and in some places, they are at historic lows. In Alabama, the problem is so bad that officials canceled this year’s public oyster season. Scientists involved in restoration efforts are now finding that what worked before is no longer working, so biologists are trying something new.
The Nazi submarine being destroyed by bacteria: Oil released from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill is providing a breeding ground for metal-eating microbes 3,300 feet under the sea
Daily Mail
A Nazi submarine sunk during WWII is rapidly being eaten away by bacteria feeding on oil released from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill.
Regional
Containment efforts begin for 15-year gulf oil leak
WWL
NEW ORLEANS (WWL-TV)— Highly anticipated and controversial cleanup operations will begin this week at a 15-year-long oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, the U.S. Coast Guard confirmed Wednesday.
MLGW could save millions, get greener, by breaking away from TVA, study says
Commercial Appeal
A new study concludes Memphis could save hundreds of millions of dollars if it breaks its decades-long power-purchase deal with the Tennessee Valley Authority in favor of developing its own power supply.
Alabama Power blames federal rules for closing coal plant
AP
A power company is blaming federal environmental regulations for the decision to close a coal-powered plant in central Alabama.
National
EPA: Carbon dioxide from power plants rose last year
The Hill
Carbon dioxide emissions from power plants rose slightly last year while overall electricity production grew by a larger factor, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said Wednesday.
EPA redraws federal water pollution boundaries
WHSV
WASHINGTON (Gray DC) — The White House wants to limit government's reach into the rivers and streams in your backyard.
Iowa State collaboration to improve local watersheds and conservation efforts
Iowa State Daily
Iowa State researchers have been teaming up with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) to work toward cleaner watersheds across the state of Iowa..
Daimler risks fine as German prosecutors launch new probe
Reuters
BERLIN, Feb 20 (Reuters) - German prosecutors have launched a probe into Daimler for allegedly failing to prevent diesel emissions cheating, possibly resulting in a fine for the carmaker, as its legal woes mount up over the affair.
Opinion
EPA Spends $25,000 On “Rural Voices Radio”
Mississippi Center for Public Policy
The Environmental Protection Agency isn’t just coming to your local power plant, they’re coming to you live on Mississippi Public Broadcasting.
Well, not exactly the EPA. Rural Voices Radio will be using a $25,954 grant given by the agency to the Mississippi Writing/Thinking Institute to produce programming related to the Gulf of Mexico.
UNDOING PROCUREMENT REFORM
Northside Sun
Ever since the state legislature passed procurement reform, there has been a constant effort to repeal the reforms. This session is no different. State Rep. Jerry Turner, the leader of procurement reform in the House, is in a battle to preserve reverse auctions. Reps. Mark Baker and Donnie Bell are pressuring Speaker of the House Phillip Gunn to repeal mandatory reverse auctions, which many supervisors and municipalities find inconvenient. Turner maintains that reverse auctions have been a proven success and are saving taxpayers millions of dollars through lower bids.
Press Releases
EPA and Army publish proposed revised "waters of the United States" definition
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of the Army announced Feb. 14 the publishing in the Federal Register of the proposed new definition of "waters of the United States" that clarifies federal authority under the Clean Water Act.
EPA Releases 2018 Power Plant Emissions Demonstrating Continued Progress
02/20/2019
WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released preliminary data on 2018 emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and carbon dioxide (CO2) from power plants in the lower 48 states. This data shows a decline in both NOx and SO2 emissions compared to 2017.
Turkey harvest reporting begins Spring 2019
MDWFP
JACKSON – This spring, Mississippi hunters who bag a gobbler will be more engaged than ever in ensuring the future of Mississippi’s turkey flock. Beginning with the 2019 season, all turkey hunters are required to report their harvests to the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) by 10:00 p.m. on the day the turkey is harvested. The new MDWFP Game Check system provides hunters with three available options to report their bird: the MDWFP hunting and fishing smartphone app, www.mdwfp.com/gamecheck, or by calling 1-800-BE-SMART.
